A new indoor fence solution from Supply Rack.

Supply Rack Indoor Fence System is ideal for concrete floor installation and is a nice upgrade to the standard chain link on posts and plates installation. Give your customer another option; in many cases this may be the most efficient option to comply with OSHA requirements. Steve Rushing from Supply Rack Sales & Marketing has answered our questions about his product- here is what you need to know:;

Fence Wizard,
Yes, the fencing is quite strong, durable, and helps in many ways to protect employees in the workplace. As far as OSHA regs, this is probably the most prevalent regulation...

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10415

The product is manufactured by the Folding Guard Corporation out of Chicago. My firm, The Supply Rack covers the entire USA, trading cad drawings, sketches and floor plans with customers that go back and forth via fax, email, and phone, all the way up to the formal quotation process. Most of my customers are packaging the fence with an automated (robotic) systems to increase production at a manufacturing or process facility. This makes my customer primarily an OEM. The markets are widespread, but some of the more popular applications include fencing security for.. robotic welding cells, automated sorting, palletizing projects, packaging operations, conveying systems, automotive manufacturing, aerospace, medical, etc. Here's an animated sketch of what a simple robotic cell might look like.

There are many ways to protect employees from machine hazards, and safety fence with interlock devices is quite common.. Here are the types that I recommend most often..

For Perimeter jobs, our Cell-Guard II is excellent for custom configurations if we need to design "around" obstructions, posts, or anything that might require circlulars, oblongs, etc.http://www.supplyrack.com/product/7de561d1-7e5b-48b8-b290-2c6aaa6ca765.aspx

An economical version of the Cell Guard 2, is the standard Cell Guard offering..

http://www.supplyrack.com/product/52859b29-32d7-491f-9509-817eec6d95f9.aspx

Our Saf-T-Fence is quite useful for jobs requiring maximum strength. The panels are "through-bolted" to the posts.

http://www.supplyrack.com/product/20ee0c06-3abf-4533-889b-d90e98608fed.aspx

Hope this information is useful, and thanks for featuring the Supply Rack at "The World Famous Fence Wizard Blog".

Always available for questions...

Steve Rushing
Supply Rack Sales & Marketing
847-715-9097
847-612-3775 (cell)
www.supplyrack.com

New growth product that can generate sales now!

There is nothing better than a fence product that creates new profit opportunity where none existed before. If you install or sell temporary fence - read carefully: www.fencefabric.com is a new enterprise that manufactures and distributes specialty fabrics that can be installed to existing fence, new fence, or other free standing objects. Hi-visibility construction sites will tap this product first - the future growth will surely include the residential market, event fencing, and any location where printable advertising can benefit. Early projects for Fence Fabric have included: The Trump Towers in New Orleans, The Boston Redevelopment Agency, and Starwood Hotels. New Dealers are now being recruited, you may want to be the only play in your area that offers this product!

Project Coordinator Mathew Murray answered our product questions this week:

Mr. Fence Wizard,

Thank you for your interest and review of our product; here is a rundown about our products:

Fence Fabric is a unique product that was designed to transform ordinary surfaces into classic stone walls, beautiful hedges, pristine landscapes, or other high-quality designs of your choice. Our products improve the aesthetics of any surface, increase privacy and security, and also add a unique and distinguishing element to any property. The versatility of Fence Fabric in terms of size, design, and installation makes our products ideally suited to a wide range of applications, including commercial development projects, residential landscaping, sports complexes, zoos and amusement parks, public works projects, event tents, and other creative uses.

We feature five separate materials:

Supreme Mesh Vinyl- a tight weave, permeable to wind while reducing light penetration

Scrim Vinyl- non-porous and perfectly suited to cover solid walls or other surfaces

Block Out (white back)- internal block-out layer completely obstructs light penetration

Block-Out (black back)- a light-blocking material engineered with a black color on the reverse side

Backlit Vinyl- creates a stunning effect with a light source placed directly behind the material.

All materials used for Fence Fabric prints have been chosen for their superior printing properties and outdoor durability. Both the materials and the inks used in printing are UV-stabilized allowing for long-term installations. Most of these materials can be printed on both sides. Prints are expanded beyond the dimensions of the project and then folded and bound at the edges to provide finished image panels at full size that are ready for mounting. We have an extensive library of stock images and are able to produce custom logos for your business, event, or product. Just let us know how we can help put a better face on your fence.

As regards installation, grommets and zip ties can be used to mount Fence Fabric with most projects. Other fastening options are possible and can be explored with your local fence installer. Our products are competitively priced amongst similar privacy screens or slats. Most projects range in the $2.00 per square foot range and up, depending on material and finishing options.

Contact Fence Fabric at:

Fence Fabric

18520 Burbank Blvd. Ste. 103

Tarzana, CA 91356

888-336-2350 (p)

818-774-1286 (f)

www.fencefabric.com

Fencing Calculators and Project Estimators!

The question we get most here concerns planning and material needs. Here is a collection of some helpfull fencing calculators from around the web:

Concrete calculator (tells you how many bags or yards you need):
Calculator provided by Hoover Fence - click back to the homepage for some other options

Fence Project Price estimator (Includes Labor)
Total project calculator from Master Halco

The Master Halco link will actually give you project options for several types of fence and can link you to companies that will respond for installation. These are real fence companies that are not forced to purchase material from Master Halco.

PLEASE NOTE:
Be very careful of some of the new companies that are advertising leads - service magic and others - I can not vouch for these services or how they do business.

How to find qualified contractors for your residential project.....

This may be the most important post that the Fence Wizard will author. The following advice can be used for any project but seems to be absolutely crucial for fencing.

First off: How to find companies to bid on your project?
Be careful. Using the Internet can often generate paid lead finders that have connection with companies not close to your area. Also, running a simple search on yahoolocal.com or yellowpages.com will not actually categorize the companies in order of how close they are to you. They are organized based on their account status with marketing firms.
So what should you do? First and foremost ask around and get some word of mouth advice. Check the local phone book to see who offers the service you are looking for. Narrow your search down to 3 companies - usually the closest to your location. Make certain they are licensed and insured.

Second - call them up and describe your project the best you can and make sure the company is interested in providing a bid to you.

Third - Provide all bidders with the same information - footage/ height/ specs/ etc. If you are not familiar with fence specifications then ask each bidder to clearly define the spec and quality of each major component of the fence that they are proposing to use. Read those specs carefully and make sure you understand them. For example 9 Gauge tension wire is thicker than 10 gauge.

Forth- Pick the highest value bid not just the lowest price bid. By this point you should have also learned if the contractor is responsive to your questions and concerns.

Finally - Make sure you see a display or sample of the product and see an installed example nearby to your location. Only then should you ask for a contract from the company so that you can sign and approve the price they quoted. NEVER EVER EVER pay more than 10% deposit on any project. The Best companies rarely even ask for that.

As with all advice - use common sense and if you are unsure at all - blog to the FENCE WIZARD for some advice. Good luck.

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Fence Wizard Year In Review: 2007 Article Index

Did you miss one of the Fence Wizard's Original Articles? Fear not, Here is the complete Index List - Thank you to our sponsors for making 2007 a Great Year. Lets pray that we start 2008 smarter and more connected. Cheers.

Blog Archive

• ▼ 2007 (45)
  • ▼ December (8)
    • Fleet Decisions: Gas vs. Diesel.
    • Fence Domains; Good Luck......
    • A Wizardly Billing Tool....
    • The 50 most visited Fence Companies on the Interne...
    • 2007 Fence Photo Winners
    • The "John 3.16" of your large fence project manage...
    • Fence Industry outlook - what can the stock market...
    • Fencetech 2008 etc.......
  • ▼ November (10)
    • United Fencers Network Established on Facebook...
    • Update: Golden State Fence, Guilty or an unfair po...
    • Historic Fence photos......
    • Mel Kay defends Golden State Fence reputation and ...
    • TREX sets aside another $45 million for defective ...
    • How to find and hire an employee....
    • The Story long ignored by US media: the overwhelmi...
    • 1st annual web design awards for fence companies
    • Golden State Fence changes name to "Fence Works" i...
    • Architects already know it - go to caddesisgns.com...
  • ▼ October (2)
    • Technorati invites Fence Wizard Blog to domain.......
    • Unique and Unusual Fence Gifts and Apparel
  • ▼ September (5)
    • Ten BooksTo Improve Your Fence Company
    • Fence Industry Wildcard: "DOGS".
    • Principia announces results of Fence Market Study....
    • CBS attempts to put fence installers out of busine...
    • Opinion piece: What fence is for.
  • ▼ August (3)
    • The Do It Yourself Fence Builder Reference Guide
    • Fence Books: Ornamental Iron
    • ASTM Fence Spec and Standards BOOKS.
  • ▼ July (3)
    • Fencing Calculators and Conversion Tools
    • Fence Manufacturers and Associations - LINK LIST
    • Fence Books: Ornamental Iron
  • ▼ June (1)
    • Fence Project Leads, Architect Resources
  • ▼ May (2)
    • Fence Contractor Software and Design Systems
    • Fence Industry Discussion Pages - Links
  • ▼ April (3)
    • Fence Tools For Sales, Limited Pricing
    • Ameristar announces warranty upgrade on Iron Produ...
    • Invisible Fence, Wireless Dog Training Devices
  • ▼ March (1)
    • Border Fence Talk... The real issue.
  • ▼ February (6)
    • Videos: Fence Plowing, Bloopers, and other Electri...
    • Fence Company Directory and Link Sheet
    • A new indoor fence solution from Supply Rack.
    • New growth product that can generate sales now!
    • Fencing Calculators and Project Estimators!
    • How to find qualified contractors for your residen...
  • ▼ January (1)
    • FENCE WIZARD MAD. Online fence companies that suc...

• ▼ 2006 (9)
  • ▼ December (5)
    • Top Ten Reasons To Install A Fence!
    • Top Ten Reasons To Install A Fence!
    • Golden State Fence hit hard for Hiring Illegals
    • A book that can boost your profit and reduce stres...
    • Guest Columnist Jason Hommel describes the Zinc Pr...
  • ▼ November (1)
    • Important Xmas shopping notes..........
  • ▼ October (2)
    • Can Fencing Stop Copper Wire thiefs????
    • New Products and review for residential fencing.
  • ▼ January (1)
    • Thinking about buying wood posts? Stop, Wizard Ti...

The 2007 Blog Index is sponsored by:

Fathead Posters. Not Fence, but still cool.

FOUND: The motherload link for international fence product wholesale

Not sure how this website has been hiding for so long but the Fence Wizard Web Search Crew has uncovered a vast collection of International Fence Industry Links all on one convenient site:
EC21- The Golbal B2B Marketplace. The site is loaded with just about everything - so we ran a search for Fence and struck gold. Here is what we found"

These are worldwide companies manufacturing, selling, importing, and buying Fence Product on the World Market.
18 Companies involved with Vinyl Fence
29 Companies involved with Bamboo Fence
473 Companies involved with Chain Link Fence
493 Companies involved with Iron Fence

Follow your own nose from the Home Page if you want to explore importing or exporting product. We will be testing the links over then next couple of week and will add to this report soon.

FENCE WIZARD MAD. Online fence companies that suck!

The Fence Wizard is here to lend a hand. This time we would like to lend a finger. Today's rant is directed at two online retailers of fence prodcut.

First off - Do not buy chain link products online ever. You will pay far too much and get despicably lightweight specs. If you didnt know - such is the case at home despot and lowes as well. Where should you buy? Find a local fence company that offers retail sales - they are hard to find but well worth the trouble.

Here was my test quote from fencecenter.com.
I asked for 6' high x 100' of chain link fence. The spec they provided is less than pathetic, it includes 1 5/8" 17 Gauge Line Posts - the FENCE WIZARD would not bother pooping on this. Also included 11 Gauge Aluminum ties - I have never heard of anything weaker than 9 gauge until now. Remarkable. Total cost with shipping ran $8.16 per foot. A fence with appropraite specs should run about $6.50-7.00 per foot retail. Again with "appropriate specs".

What a nightmare, but it doesnt end there by any means. I next went to efence.com and priced out a basic 6' high cedar fence. Spec included 5/8" x 6" wide Cedar Pickets and 2 rails. Wood posts included "for beauty and strength". I had the online calculator run me a price for a 100' straight run - no gates. The price----An unbelievable $2,144.00 excluding concrete. This is far above what such a fence should install for with labor. Is anybody buying this garbage for these prices??? Once again - efence.com and fencecenter.com are complete rip offs. Sadly they are likely two of many.

A Fence Company Guide to: Labor Law

Construction Labor Law, Links, Blogs, and Key Information

I hate to tell you this - but you simply have to read this stuff and stay informed. Consider it punishment for providing jobs. The Fence Wizard is providing the following links to get you started. More articles are in the works on this subject so stay tuned for the Fence Wizard.

Construction Labor Law Blog by Charles Shrader
Worker Comp Insider by Lynch Ryan
Midwest Construction Law Blog
Strategic HR Resource Lawyer (labor relations)
Employment Law Information Network
"Workplace Fairness Blog" a bleeding heart site
Find Law: Employee's Rights Center

Find Law Small Business Employer Rights Menu:

• Overview
• Interviews & The Hiring Process
• Wages & Benefits
• Discrimination & Harassment
• Job Safety
• Termination
• More Topics
• Get Help Now
• Resources